Tues - 3k WU, 4k's @ 4:10 mins/km, 3k WD
Wed - 90 mins, 18k's @ 4:55 mins/km
Thurs - 3,2,1 mins, 30 sec efforts with 30 JR. 30 SR. Repeat
Fri - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:00 mins/km
Tues - A grinding tempo effort in steady rain. Went to a mates place later on for several beers whilst watching the Boxing Day test. Instead of playing cricket at lunch, we went down to the nearby sports field for mud footy. The game started off as touch but the second half degenerated into tackle footy. I managed not to do anything stupid with my legs although I picked up a nice graze on my butt after sliding several metres to touchdown for a breakaway try before the defence arrived.
Wed - A solid 90 minutes in the rain. Not another runner to be seen. I love running in the rain knowing that I'm doing my training when my competition is perhaps skipping a session.
Thurs - Long fartlek session at Pats with about 30 of us turning up for the first post Xmas session. I didn't have a great deal of zip , but my endurance came to the fore in the jogging recoveries and I finished third behind a standout Andy C and James.
Fri - Easy recovery run late in the arvo.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Second Recovery Week
Tues - 50 mins, 10k's @ 5:00mins/km
Wed - 70 mins, 14k's @ about 4:50-5:00 mins/km
Thurs - Surge and Hills
Fri - 40 mins, 8k's @ 5:00 mins/km
I was originally going to get straight back into hard training this week, but by the time Tuesday rolled around, I realised that the hard 25k in heat and over a few hills had taken a greater toll than I had anticipated so another recovery week was on the cards. It felt good to map out a recovery week bigger than all my training three months ago!!
Tues - An easy 10k along the Kedron Brook
Wed - A cruisey 70 minutes with Slash and Aza along the Brisbane River. Ran into Tori, but no sign of Tesso and Clairie - I hope their Wednesday river loop is a real run and not a figment of their imagination ;-)
Thurs - PCRG Xmas Run. One of my fav sessions - surge and hills. Glenda issued a none too subtle reminder that I've got a fair bit of work to do with my core strength. Seeing me shirtless, she made as if to test out my abs with a punch and then pulled back with a grimace when she realised that they weren't quite rock hard! Something to remember for motivation when I'm in the gym this Summer!! With everyone dressed in Xmas theme, I ran solidly on the surges but was the first to lead the way to the QUT Grass hill which I attacked with a vengeance. I then led throughout on the hills. Whilst everyone else made their way to the South Bank pool for the Xmas breakfast, Glenda, Langy, Daniel T, Robbie and I resisted the temptation to join them and did a full 15 minute warm down at marathon pace. Great way to finish a session. It was nice to pick up my second Group award for the year and I again chose the BCC Gold Class passes - thanks to those who voted for me!! That's a pic of Glenda and I finishing our warm up run.
Fri - Easy 40 mins in the arvo followed by a rub from Bruno. My first homestayer arrived as well. A 23yo Japanese bloke by the name of Hiro who loves soccer and hates tomatoes. He's already been in Toronto for seven months so his English is quite advanced and we're getting along well so far. On the downside, I bumped my head into the garage door quite hard and am suffering through a bout of tinnitus at the moment. I have to try and hear through a constant ringing noise in my head and can get dizzy at times but should be over it in a week or so.
Wed - 70 mins, 14k's @ about 4:50-5:00 mins/km
Thurs - Surge and Hills
Fri - 40 mins, 8k's @ 5:00 mins/km
I was originally going to get straight back into hard training this week, but by the time Tuesday rolled around, I realised that the hard 25k in heat and over a few hills had taken a greater toll than I had anticipated so another recovery week was on the cards. It felt good to map out a recovery week bigger than all my training three months ago!!
Tues - An easy 10k along the Kedron Brook
Wed - A cruisey 70 minutes with Slash and Aza along the Brisbane River. Ran into Tori, but no sign of Tesso and Clairie - I hope their Wednesday river loop is a real run and not a figment of their imagination ;-)
Thurs - PCRG Xmas Run. One of my fav sessions - surge and hills. Glenda issued a none too subtle reminder that I've got a fair bit of work to do with my core strength. Seeing me shirtless, she made as if to test out my abs with a punch and then pulled back with a grimace when she realised that they weren't quite rock hard! Something to remember for motivation when I'm in the gym this Summer!! With everyone dressed in Xmas theme, I ran solidly on the surges but was the first to lead the way to the QUT Grass hill which I attacked with a vengeance. I then led throughout on the hills. Whilst everyone else made their way to the South Bank pool for the Xmas breakfast, Glenda, Langy, Daniel T, Robbie and I resisted the temptation to join them and did a full 15 minute warm down at marathon pace. Great way to finish a session. It was nice to pick up my second Group award for the year and I again chose the BCC Gold Class passes - thanks to those who voted for me!! That's a pic of Glenda and I finishing our warm up run.
Fri - Easy 40 mins in the arvo followed by a rub from Bruno. My first homestayer arrived as well. A 23yo Japanese bloke by the name of Hiro who loves soccer and hates tomatoes. He's already been in Toronto for seven months so his English is quite advanced and we're getting along well so far. On the downside, I bumped my head into the garage door quite hard and am suffering through a bout of tinnitus at the moment. I have to try and hear through a constant ringing noise in my head and can get dizzy at times but should be over it in a week or so.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Sunday - Recovery week concludes
Sun - 90 mins, 18k's @ 5:00mins/k
It was nice to finish off my recovery week with an easy 90 minutes late on Sunday arvo. Even nicer was the realisation that my recovery week had totalled 40k's - that was a fair dinkum week's training not long ago!!
Rushed home from my run and then went to the Bullets with Langy to watch the boys continue their impressive season. Robbie L was at the game but left suddenly at half time - perhaps he's started secret training for Kurrawa 2007 already :)
It was nice to finish off my recovery week with an easy 90 minutes late on Sunday arvo. Even nicer was the realisation that my recovery week had totalled 40k's - that was a fair dinkum week's training not long ago!!
Rushed home from my run and then went to the Bullets with Langy to watch the boys continue their impressive season. Robbie L was at the game but left suddenly at half time - perhaps he's started secret training for Kurrawa 2007 already :)
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Satrday - Recovery and refelections
Wed - 30 mins, 6k's easy
Thurs - 40 mins, 8k's easy
Fri - 40 mins, 8k's easy
While my indestructable rival from Kurrawa, Glenda was chasing Langy, Andy, Gaz and co at speedwork on Tuesday, I took the day off and just concentrated on walking around and stretching as much as possible. DOMS peaked on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning but I've since recovered well.
Easy runs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday passed without incident and today saw MJ and I at Movie World where we had a great day out. Gees, the Lethal Weapon is a helluva ride!!!
I've had plenty of time to reflect this week and my efforts on Sunday have given me the confidence to break new ground in 2007. As Scott Brown said to me, 'you've learnt that a steady, injury free build up is the secret to success.' With an easy week behind me, am really looking forward to my Gold Coast campaign.
Thurs - 40 mins, 8k's easy
Fri - 40 mins, 8k's easy
While my indestructable rival from Kurrawa, Glenda was chasing Langy, Andy, Gaz and co at speedwork on Tuesday, I took the day off and just concentrated on walking around and stretching as much as possible. DOMS peaked on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning but I've since recovered well.
Easy runs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday passed without incident and today saw MJ and I at Movie World where we had a great day out. Gees, the Lethal Weapon is a helluva ride!!!
I've had plenty of time to reflect this week and my efforts on Sunday have given me the confidence to break new ground in 2007. As Scott Brown said to me, 'you've learnt that a steady, injury free build up is the secret to success.' With an easy week behind me, am really looking forward to my Gold Coast campaign.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Sunday - Kurrawa to Duranbah - Coming out party!!!
Kurrawa to Duranbah - 2nd leg 25k in 1:44:05 4th or 5th Relay Team
After more than two years of frustration battling the shins splints with only one 110% effort race in that time, this was it - my coming out party!!
My preparation had a few hiccups. Rather than get up before 3am and drive down from Brisbane, I booked MJ and I into an El Cheapo motel for the night. Unfortunately, a microwave was not provided and I was unable to make my own pasta dinner. Never mind. MJ and I then went for a drive along the course so I could scout the route and at the border, we stopped for dinner at Latitude 28, boasting magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean. We both ordered the pasta of the day which turned out to be a creamy prawn pasta rather than the tomato based pasta I was hoping for. My stomach is not used to creamy meals but I remained calm and philosophical. I had a three day carbo load under my belt and my stomach is pretty adapatable.
Race morning saw a bombshell dropped with the announcement that Jonesy had slept in and the much hyped Slash/Matty v Jonesy/Glenda PCRG Intrasquad match race was off. I said to Slash - 'lets go for a top 5 spot instead!' Slash didn't let that or the 40 minute starting delay bother him and ran a strong leg down south duelling with Phil K most of the way and arriving at Kurrawa in 7th spot, just behind Phil. Also arriving at Kurrawa was Glenda who had decided to run her leg of the relay anyway so at least the two of us could have a race! When Slash arrived Glenda didn't wait for me and grabbed an early 20m lead whilst I fumbled to strap on a borrowed Garmin (kindly lent by Chelle) after Slash passed it to me. Game on!
I ran steadily up the hill just after the start and then took my time making up the deficit to Glenda over the first two k's. As I warmed up, I increased the tempo and then caught up to Phil K's partner Stevo a sub 3 hour marathoner coming back from injury. Stevo courageously tried to hang on to me as I steadily increased the tempo but I knew that I was too fit for him and so it proved as I dropped him after a 2k duel. I then steadily reeled in Glenda by the time 5k's passed. An exciting duel then followed as Glenda and I swapped the lead a few times and steadily continued to increase the tempo, going through 10k's in 39:40. Here I took my first GU and was extremely appreciative of the cool Enervit drink that MJ handed to me. Having a reliable crew member driving along the route and handing you drinks and supplies is critical to a good run at Kurrawa.
As the temperature increased to 24 degrees, the battle continued while I counted about six or seven lead changes between Glenda and myself. I got a 10m lead on one occasion but Glenda pegged me back. By now, doubts were creeping into my mind. I was feeling ok but was unproven at this pace over this distance and I was up against a 2:55 Marathoner. I kept telling myself to trust my training and my carbo load and maintain the pace - Glenda had confessed to being underdone after missing a weeks training with a foot injury a month ago so I kept telling myself to maintain the pressure and maybe she'll crack. Finally, along Golden Four Drive around the 13-14k mark I realised that Glenda was no longer with me and I had opened up a 20m lead! I battled my way up the hill after Tallebudgera Creek and then coming down the other side, I struck my first major problem. Rushing to put on my sunscreen prior to the start, I had made the rookie mistake of putting some onto my forehead and now it was trickling into and seeping into my right eye, stinging it. I tried blinking the eye repeatedly and then ran with it shut for a minute. Just when I thought I was going to have to pull over at a water bubbler and wash it, relinquishing my lead in the process the eye came good. Phew!
I was now running alone through the streets of Burleigh, clear of Glenda but the temperature was hotting up and the doubts were coming back - could I maintain the pace solo over the last seven or eight k's? It was at this stage that I started to visualise one of my favourite all time inspirational scenes - that of Deek strongly pulling away from Olympic Gold Medallist, Carlos Lopes in the last kilometre of the 1983 Rotterdam Marathon. I love that video tape! I relaxed my body and I thought about how much Deek must have been hurting and how he dug deep and didn't give an inch. Could I do it too? Bloody oath I could!! And so it proved - as I continued to visualise Deek's powerful finish, I noticed my body had straightened, my breathing was regulated and my pace had picked up a touch.
Unfortunately, I must have got carried away with the daydreaming and as we approached the last point along the coast, I saw some witches hats(which had been designating turns all day) halfway up a long hill and figured a turn must be up there. Cresting the hill with doubts in my mind for the withces hats had not indicated a turn, I sneaked a glance over my shoulder and sure enough - Glenda was nowhere to be seen! I had taken a wrong turn! Continuing down the other side of the hill I immediately hung a right to get back onto the coast espalande and was dismayed to see that my 50m lead had been trimmed to about 20m! I knew that Glenda would sniff blood in the water if I didn't increase my lead again as quickly as possible so I dug deep and steadily upped the pace again. Despite that, it was here that I was passed for the only time by Jess Kirley, a 2:40 Marathoner coming back from a knee injury. I keep in touch with Jess by enmail when I can and he has been where I want to go with my running over the next few years so now I started telling myself to try and hang on to him - lets find out what if feels like to be a 2:40 Marathoner!! Alas, I was only able to hold onto Jess for a few hundred metres but managed to keep up the speed enough to ensure that he didn't pull too far away. While it might have felt like I was going fast I knew that my pace had dropped from the early 3:58's to around 4:10-4:15's at this stage (The Garmin lost satellite tracking around the 9k mark)
By now, the sun was scorching down, there was no shade, there was only four k's to go and I had pulled well clear of Glenda again. I could feel one of my toes blistering, my stomach was starting to get a little queasy and I was hurting more than at any other stage of the race. I kept telling myself 'its just a little further than a 3kTT and your used to hurting for the whole 10 minutes of that, so keep going!' As I sped along Hedges avenue, I could see that Jess was no longer increasing his lead over me and I knew I wasn't the only one doing it tough. As the park hosting the start/finish area loomed, I glanced at my watch which registered 3:27 and managed to coax a little more speed out ofn my weakening body to ensure that Slash and I dipped under the 3:30 mark! U beauty!
I ran through the ticker tape doing the double fist pump and then collapsed to my hands and knees - I had done it! 1:44:02 for 25k's in pretty tough conditions with three big hills thrown in. More importantly than the time, I had outduelled a 2:55 Marathoner and only been overtaken by a 2:40 Marathoner. After two years of knowing that I belonged in the company of this calibre of runner, it was bloody nice to confirm it!
I really could not have accomplished what I did without my inspirational PCRG team mate, Glenda. It was weird to be racing each other and hardly speaking after training so much together! Our duel for the first half of the race set up a good time and MJ was there for me on no less than 10 occasions along the route offering Enervit and GU's to me when I needed them.
I did all the right things in the hours after the race and pulled up well. Drank over four litres of fluids before I needed to head to the bathroom for the first time - it never ceases to amaze me how much you can lose!!
Its great to end 2006 on a high. I'll take a very easy recovery week now and then continue my Gold Coast Marathon campaign. Bring it on!!
After more than two years of frustration battling the shins splints with only one 110% effort race in that time, this was it - my coming out party!!
My preparation had a few hiccups. Rather than get up before 3am and drive down from Brisbane, I booked MJ and I into an El Cheapo motel for the night. Unfortunately, a microwave was not provided and I was unable to make my own pasta dinner. Never mind. MJ and I then went for a drive along the course so I could scout the route and at the border, we stopped for dinner at Latitude 28, boasting magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean. We both ordered the pasta of the day which turned out to be a creamy prawn pasta rather than the tomato based pasta I was hoping for. My stomach is not used to creamy meals but I remained calm and philosophical. I had a three day carbo load under my belt and my stomach is pretty adapatable.
Race morning saw a bombshell dropped with the announcement that Jonesy had slept in and the much hyped Slash/Matty v Jonesy/Glenda PCRG Intrasquad match race was off. I said to Slash - 'lets go for a top 5 spot instead!' Slash didn't let that or the 40 minute starting delay bother him and ran a strong leg down south duelling with Phil K most of the way and arriving at Kurrawa in 7th spot, just behind Phil. Also arriving at Kurrawa was Glenda who had decided to run her leg of the relay anyway so at least the two of us could have a race! When Slash arrived Glenda didn't wait for me and grabbed an early 20m lead whilst I fumbled to strap on a borrowed Garmin (kindly lent by Chelle) after Slash passed it to me. Game on!
I ran steadily up the hill just after the start and then took my time making up the deficit to Glenda over the first two k's. As I warmed up, I increased the tempo and then caught up to Phil K's partner Stevo a sub 3 hour marathoner coming back from injury. Stevo courageously tried to hang on to me as I steadily increased the tempo but I knew that I was too fit for him and so it proved as I dropped him after a 2k duel. I then steadily reeled in Glenda by the time 5k's passed. An exciting duel then followed as Glenda and I swapped the lead a few times and steadily continued to increase the tempo, going through 10k's in 39:40. Here I took my first GU and was extremely appreciative of the cool Enervit drink that MJ handed to me. Having a reliable crew member driving along the route and handing you drinks and supplies is critical to a good run at Kurrawa.
As the temperature increased to 24 degrees, the battle continued while I counted about six or seven lead changes between Glenda and myself. I got a 10m lead on one occasion but Glenda pegged me back. By now, doubts were creeping into my mind. I was feeling ok but was unproven at this pace over this distance and I was up against a 2:55 Marathoner. I kept telling myself to trust my training and my carbo load and maintain the pace - Glenda had confessed to being underdone after missing a weeks training with a foot injury a month ago so I kept telling myself to maintain the pressure and maybe she'll crack. Finally, along Golden Four Drive around the 13-14k mark I realised that Glenda was no longer with me and I had opened up a 20m lead! I battled my way up the hill after Tallebudgera Creek and then coming down the other side, I struck my first major problem. Rushing to put on my sunscreen prior to the start, I had made the rookie mistake of putting some onto my forehead and now it was trickling into and seeping into my right eye, stinging it. I tried blinking the eye repeatedly and then ran with it shut for a minute. Just when I thought I was going to have to pull over at a water bubbler and wash it, relinquishing my lead in the process the eye came good. Phew!
I was now running alone through the streets of Burleigh, clear of Glenda but the temperature was hotting up and the doubts were coming back - could I maintain the pace solo over the last seven or eight k's? It was at this stage that I started to visualise one of my favourite all time inspirational scenes - that of Deek strongly pulling away from Olympic Gold Medallist, Carlos Lopes in the last kilometre of the 1983 Rotterdam Marathon. I love that video tape! I relaxed my body and I thought about how much Deek must have been hurting and how he dug deep and didn't give an inch. Could I do it too? Bloody oath I could!! And so it proved - as I continued to visualise Deek's powerful finish, I noticed my body had straightened, my breathing was regulated and my pace had picked up a touch.
Unfortunately, I must have got carried away with the daydreaming and as we approached the last point along the coast, I saw some witches hats(which had been designating turns all day) halfway up a long hill and figured a turn must be up there. Cresting the hill with doubts in my mind for the withces hats had not indicated a turn, I sneaked a glance over my shoulder and sure enough - Glenda was nowhere to be seen! I had taken a wrong turn! Continuing down the other side of the hill I immediately hung a right to get back onto the coast espalande and was dismayed to see that my 50m lead had been trimmed to about 20m! I knew that Glenda would sniff blood in the water if I didn't increase my lead again as quickly as possible so I dug deep and steadily upped the pace again. Despite that, it was here that I was passed for the only time by Jess Kirley, a 2:40 Marathoner coming back from a knee injury. I keep in touch with Jess by enmail when I can and he has been where I want to go with my running over the next few years so now I started telling myself to try and hang on to him - lets find out what if feels like to be a 2:40 Marathoner!! Alas, I was only able to hold onto Jess for a few hundred metres but managed to keep up the speed enough to ensure that he didn't pull too far away. While it might have felt like I was going fast I knew that my pace had dropped from the early 3:58's to around 4:10-4:15's at this stage (The Garmin lost satellite tracking around the 9k mark)
By now, the sun was scorching down, there was no shade, there was only four k's to go and I had pulled well clear of Glenda again. I could feel one of my toes blistering, my stomach was starting to get a little queasy and I was hurting more than at any other stage of the race. I kept telling myself 'its just a little further than a 3kTT and your used to hurting for the whole 10 minutes of that, so keep going!' As I sped along Hedges avenue, I could see that Jess was no longer increasing his lead over me and I knew I wasn't the only one doing it tough. As the park hosting the start/finish area loomed, I glanced at my watch which registered 3:27 and managed to coax a little more speed out ofn my weakening body to ensure that Slash and I dipped under the 3:30 mark! U beauty!
I ran through the ticker tape doing the double fist pump and then collapsed to my hands and knees - I had done it! 1:44:02 for 25k's in pretty tough conditions with three big hills thrown in. More importantly than the time, I had outduelled a 2:55 Marathoner and only been overtaken by a 2:40 Marathoner. After two years of knowing that I belonged in the company of this calibre of runner, it was bloody nice to confirm it!
I really could not have accomplished what I did without my inspirational PCRG team mate, Glenda. It was weird to be racing each other and hardly speaking after training so much together! Our duel for the first half of the race set up a good time and MJ was there for me on no less than 10 occasions along the route offering Enervit and GU's to me when I needed them.
I did all the right things in the hours after the race and pulled up well. Drank over four litres of fluids before I needed to head to the bathroom for the first time - it never ceases to amaze me how much you can lose!!
Its great to end 2006 on a high. I'll take a very easy recovery week now and then continue my Gold Coast Marathon campaign. Bring it on!!
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Kurrawa to Duranbah - The Game Plan
Wed - 70 mins - 14k's in 4:40-5:00 range
Thurs - 2k's in 8:02, 3k WU, 3k WD
Fri - 15 mins - 3k's
Well, the Kurrawa to Duranbah 2 x 25k relay is less than 24 hours away and I have that nice tingle of antipation coursing through my veins as the clock ticks down. A month ago, this race was going to be a very hard run but i've been pleased with my progress since and I'm ready to well and truly flog myself for the first time since August last year. Slash has the first leg, then for the run from Duranbah north to Kurrawa, I will aim to run 3:55 mins/k's with the help of Chelle's Garmin 301 as there are only k markers every 5k's. Of course, if it is a scorcher by the time I start at around 6:45, then I may have to be a little more conservative.
Slash and I are hoping we can get a top five finish in the relays, but just as important will be beating our PCRG rivals, Jonesy and Glenda. On paper, Slash will have the edge over Jonesy in the first leg and with a 79 min Noosa Half under her belt, Glenda will have the edge over me in the return leg. But of course, that won't count for anything on the day and it will be interesting if Glenda and I end up in a head to head duel at some stage. Basically, I would expect Glenda to try and burn me off ASAP because she knows I am likely to outkick her in the last kilometre if it comes down to that. So if that eventuates, I'll just have to throw that plan for 3:55's out the window and hang on for dear life!!
The last few days have gone well. Wednesday was the first of what I hope will be a fortnightly run along the Brisbane River for myself and a handful of PCRG A-Teamers. Glenda, Slash and James M joined me for the inagurual run and we had a good hitout. Taperering shortened Thursday's run to 8k's of which just 2k's were at race pace and yesterday saw a light 15 minute run at 4pm just before a rub from Bruno.
I also started the AIS carbo load on Thursday morning and so far it is going well. This will be a critical test as it may be my only chance to experiment with this carbo load before my Gold Coast Marathon next year.
In the office now for a couple of hours and then MJ and I are driving down the coast and staying in a motel. With a 5am race start, there is no way I'm getting out of bed at 2:30am like last year!!!
So, I'm ready..... BRING IT ON.
Thurs - 2k's in 8:02, 3k WU, 3k WD
Fri - 15 mins - 3k's
Well, the Kurrawa to Duranbah 2 x 25k relay is less than 24 hours away and I have that nice tingle of antipation coursing through my veins as the clock ticks down. A month ago, this race was going to be a very hard run but i've been pleased with my progress since and I'm ready to well and truly flog myself for the first time since August last year. Slash has the first leg, then for the run from Duranbah north to Kurrawa, I will aim to run 3:55 mins/k's with the help of Chelle's Garmin 301 as there are only k markers every 5k's. Of course, if it is a scorcher by the time I start at around 6:45, then I may have to be a little more conservative.
Slash and I are hoping we can get a top five finish in the relays, but just as important will be beating our PCRG rivals, Jonesy and Glenda. On paper, Slash will have the edge over Jonesy in the first leg and with a 79 min Noosa Half under her belt, Glenda will have the edge over me in the return leg. But of course, that won't count for anything on the day and it will be interesting if Glenda and I end up in a head to head duel at some stage. Basically, I would expect Glenda to try and burn me off ASAP because she knows I am likely to outkick her in the last kilometre if it comes down to that. So if that eventuates, I'll just have to throw that plan for 3:55's out the window and hang on for dear life!!
The last few days have gone well. Wednesday was the first of what I hope will be a fortnightly run along the Brisbane River for myself and a handful of PCRG A-Teamers. Glenda, Slash and James M joined me for the inagurual run and we had a good hitout. Taperering shortened Thursday's run to 8k's of which just 2k's were at race pace and yesterday saw a light 15 minute run at 4pm just before a rub from Bruno.
I also started the AIS carbo load on Thursday morning and so far it is going well. This will be a critical test as it may be my only chance to experiment with this carbo load before my Gold Coast Marathon next year.
In the office now for a couple of hours and then MJ and I are driving down the coast and staying in a motel. With a 5am race start, there is no way I'm getting out of bed at 2:30am like last year!!!
So, I'm ready..... BRING IT ON.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
PCRG - 3KTT
3KTT - 10:14 (3:22, 3:39, 3:22)
After a disappointing past couple of days, I was keen to make amends at today's 3KTT. There was a fair bit of trepidation last night when I wasn't feeling that great (possible cold coming on) and had occasional minor shin discomfort. I started bracing myself for the possibility that my streak of three consecutive faster times (10:46, 10:29, 10:27, 10:20) at the 3KTT would be broken. I did everything right yesterday and last night to help me get to the start line - plenty of water, Vitamin C, extra multivitamins and antioxidants and no dairy or alcohol.
Fortunately, I woke up feeling pretty good and after showing some blistering pace on the third run through, I knew that I would be ok today and set myself a target of 10:19, one second faster than last months 10:20. After the usual mad dash for the first coupla hundred metres, Mark T, Andy C and James M accelerated away up front with a big gap to a pack of seven of eight. I was tacked onto the back of this pack which included Peter H, Mike R, Jamie, new boy Stevo and surprisingly, Big Mark who I thought had a PB in the high 10's. 'Hang on' I thought to myself. 'Where's Langy? He wants sub 10 today. Have I gone out too fast?' A glance to my left and there was Langy accelerating past me and then joining Pete at the front of the pack. It later transpired that Langy was slowly away and had been enveloped by other runners at the start.
The first k went by comfortably in 3:22 and it seems that some of the pack felt they had gone out too hard and decided to back off a touch. I immediately sensed the drop in pace as we moved onto the narrow footpath and fearful of getting caught in traffic, I immediately put on a surge, going past five blokes at once and settling into sixth place with Jamie - a little over five metres behind Langy and Pete. And there I stayed as I clocked a 3:29 split for the middle k. Thank God I wasn't caught napping when the pace slowed otherwise, I would have been in big trouble! As I ate up the metres in the run home, I calculated that I needed a 3:25 to meet my goal and as I went through 500m in 1:40 mins, I knew that a good time was in the bag. With plenty in reserve, I was able to yell out to Langy 10 metres in front of me to stop loafing and kick for home and I had a fair bit to say to others over the last 500m as I cruised home with a 3:22 k for a time of 10:14. Pete, Langy and Jamie weren't too far in front.
All in all, I am very, very pleased with today's run. I thought that I controlled my run very well and that my stride was even and efficient. The fact that I was able to cruise to the line over the last 500m, do a bit of talking and still record a 10:14 leaves me in no doubt that I could have done sub 10 had I absolutely shattered myself. But of course, with the problems of the last few days and Kurrawa a few days ago, a flogging was not on the agenda,
So, the remainder of this taper week sees me doing 80 minutes easy tomorrow morning, 40 minutes on Thursday with three k's at goal race pace and then 20-25 minutes easy on Friday. Bring on Kurrawa!!
After a disappointing past couple of days, I was keen to make amends at today's 3KTT. There was a fair bit of trepidation last night when I wasn't feeling that great (possible cold coming on) and had occasional minor shin discomfort. I started bracing myself for the possibility that my streak of three consecutive faster times (10:46, 10:29, 10:27, 10:20) at the 3KTT would be broken. I did everything right yesterday and last night to help me get to the start line - plenty of water, Vitamin C, extra multivitamins and antioxidants and no dairy or alcohol.
Fortunately, I woke up feeling pretty good and after showing some blistering pace on the third run through, I knew that I would be ok today and set myself a target of 10:19, one second faster than last months 10:20. After the usual mad dash for the first coupla hundred metres, Mark T, Andy C and James M accelerated away up front with a big gap to a pack of seven of eight. I was tacked onto the back of this pack which included Peter H, Mike R, Jamie, new boy Stevo and surprisingly, Big Mark who I thought had a PB in the high 10's. 'Hang on' I thought to myself. 'Where's Langy? He wants sub 10 today. Have I gone out too fast?' A glance to my left and there was Langy accelerating past me and then joining Pete at the front of the pack. It later transpired that Langy was slowly away and had been enveloped by other runners at the start.
The first k went by comfortably in 3:22 and it seems that some of the pack felt they had gone out too hard and decided to back off a touch. I immediately sensed the drop in pace as we moved onto the narrow footpath and fearful of getting caught in traffic, I immediately put on a surge, going past five blokes at once and settling into sixth place with Jamie - a little over five metres behind Langy and Pete. And there I stayed as I clocked a 3:29 split for the middle k. Thank God I wasn't caught napping when the pace slowed otherwise, I would have been in big trouble! As I ate up the metres in the run home, I calculated that I needed a 3:25 to meet my goal and as I went through 500m in 1:40 mins, I knew that a good time was in the bag. With plenty in reserve, I was able to yell out to Langy 10 metres in front of me to stop loafing and kick for home and I had a fair bit to say to others over the last 500m as I cruised home with a 3:22 k for a time of 10:14. Pete, Langy and Jamie weren't too far in front.
All in all, I am very, very pleased with today's run. I thought that I controlled my run very well and that my stride was even and efficient. The fact that I was able to cruise to the line over the last 500m, do a bit of talking and still record a 10:14 leaves me in no doubt that I could have done sub 10 had I absolutely shattered myself. But of course, with the problems of the last few days and Kurrawa a few days ago, a flogging was not on the agenda,
So, the remainder of this taper week sees me doing 80 minutes easy tomorrow morning, 40 minutes on Thursday with three k's at goal race pace and then 20-25 minutes easy on Friday. Bring on Kurrawa!!
Monday, December 04, 2006
Diappointing times
Wed - 90 mins, 18k's @ approx 4:45's
Fri - 4k tempo, 3k WU, WD
Sat - 50 mins, 10k's @ 4:52 mins/km
Sun - 50 mins, 10k's $ 4:55 mins/km
For the first time in a while, the demands of work and life have negatively impacted upon my running. Whilst I have not missed a run itself, I have not done any core strength for two weeks and have done few glute firing ex's or foot strengthening ex's. And I'm FILTHY with myself. Will try and get back on top of things this week.
Wednesday saw me do a midweek long run with Slash around the River which went well, but was then followed by 13 hours in the office - was exhausted after that day.
Delayed my Thurday tempo run till Friday which I did in warm conditions at 10am at Golden Beach near Caloundra whilst MJ visited a physio. We then had a nice lunch at Alfie's on the Beach to make a nice day of it.
Sat was an easy late arvo run, delayed to allow recovery time from some shin discomfort.
I was planning to do a 2hr long run on Sunday but my shins continued to give me some minor grief. I probably have a mild virus that is making me feel like this although the rest of my body feels fine. I decided to reduce my run to 70 minutes (a good taper for Kurrawa) which went ok and without discomfort for 50 minutes until an electrical storm hit. I love running through heavy rain but electrical storms are another matter and after 30 minutes of waiting for it to pass, I decided to call it quits. Hopefully my body will thank me for it at Kurrawa.
Fri - 4k tempo, 3k WU, WD
Sat - 50 mins, 10k's @ 4:52 mins/km
Sun - 50 mins, 10k's $ 4:55 mins/km
For the first time in a while, the demands of work and life have negatively impacted upon my running. Whilst I have not missed a run itself, I have not done any core strength for two weeks and have done few glute firing ex's or foot strengthening ex's. And I'm FILTHY with myself. Will try and get back on top of things this week.
Wednesday saw me do a midweek long run with Slash around the River which went well, but was then followed by 13 hours in the office - was exhausted after that day.
Delayed my Thurday tempo run till Friday which I did in warm conditions at 10am at Golden Beach near Caloundra whilst MJ visited a physio. We then had a nice lunch at Alfie's on the Beach to make a nice day of it.
Sat was an easy late arvo run, delayed to allow recovery time from some shin discomfort.
I was planning to do a 2hr long run on Sunday but my shins continued to give me some minor grief. I probably have a mild virus that is making me feel like this although the rest of my body feels fine. I decided to reduce my run to 70 minutes (a good taper for Kurrawa) which went ok and without discomfort for 50 minutes until an electrical storm hit. I love running through heavy rain but electrical storms are another matter and after 30 minutes of waiting for it to pass, I decided to call it quits. Hopefully my body will thank me for it at Kurrawa.
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